Not All Stations Delaying DTV Transition

Not all area television stations will observe the federal government’s four month delay in the digital television transition.Congress recently moved the transition from February 17th to June 12th.   Louisville stations are currently broadcasting digital and analog signals simultaneously, and only the CW will turn off its channel 34 analog feed on the 17th.Kentucky Educational Television will make the transition on April 15th, and the rest of the area stations will wait until June.“With 16 transmitters statewide, it’s just budget-wise, isn’t possible for us to do," says KET spokesperson Tim Bischoff. "We’re going to really have to tighten our belt and really wisely use our resources to extend the additional 60 days we are extending.”Bischoff says it costs about 15 thousand dollars per month to broadcast analog signals across the state.Local media critic Rick Redding says the delay will cost the other stations tens of thousands of dollars and maybe even rankle some viewers.“It’s a lot like with political campaigns; at a certain point you want the election to happen so you can quit seeing the ads," he says.Redding says about 5% of Louisville area TV owners aren’t prepared for the transition.